


Never Know What’s Coming

by dls



Series: Hope You Don't Stop Running (to me 'cause I'll always be waiting) [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Civil War Team Iron Man, Consequences, Gen, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pro-Accords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 16:25:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10768026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: The world might mourn the loss of Steve Rogers, but it would suffer the loss of Tony Stark.Or: 5 Times Steve Rogers Spoke to the World and the 1 Time He was Silent





	Never Know What’s Coming

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't exactly the fic I outlined and set out to write, but I think I like the finished product. :)
> 
> The next, and most likely last, installment will feature Engineer!Tony and Trickster!Loki and their antics in other universes.
> 
> Beta-ed by [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal).
> 
> References/Quotes:   
>  Title from "Cinema" by Benny Benassi & Gary Go.

**One.**

The world took exactly three days to label the missing Iron Man as a coward, a traitor, and a villain. The disassembled armor and lack of a body supported the theory of a planned escape and an attempt to frame Captain America to further the Accords. The United Nations, caving to public pressure, declared the Accords null and void within the month.

Vision had moved into the Stark Tower after announcing his retirement as an Avenger and removing himself from mortal conflicts. The timing of his decision was rather suspect as it had happened merely hours before Ross discovered Tony went rogue. Equally suspicious was his statement of Tony being where none can find, but the United Nations decided against more aggressive inquiries to avoid triggering another conflict. Vision was monitored carefully but the android spent his days gazing at nothingness and his nights staring into the skies.

Steve, flanked by his fellow Avengers, returned to the Avengers Compound as brave and loyal heroes. They received full pardons for their alleged crimes and were granted complete access to resources offered by the United Nations. Steve's heartfelt speech, reaffirming their conviction to defend the citizens of the world and forgiving Tony for his treachery, a demonstration of heroic compassion, was translated into multiple languages and widely broadcasted.

Tony never surfaced, unsurprising given his expertise with technology yet unsettling for the same reason. Wild speculations began to fly in both casual office gossip and solemn security briefings. Tony's particular brand of reckless ruthlessness in his vengeful pursuits made him too dangerous to leave unlocated. No one wanted the kind of legacy the Ten Rings had, now known only for its downfall. Countries reinforced their security measures and facial recognition software, courtesy of Stark Industries as a show of good will and good faith, became the norm instead of the exception.

The world rested easy within Captain America's capable hands and under their governments' ever-watchful eyes, secure in the knowledge that Iron Man, former Avenger and now terrorist, would be located and captured soon.

 

**Two.**

When efforts to apprehend Tony yielded no results after three months, the people and their leaders grew restless and panicked. The memories and knowledge of Tony's many accomplishments were highlighted in troubled dreams and strategy sessions.

The Jericho Missile was a marvel of destruction. It was designed to separate into sixteen smaller missiles upon being launched, covering an expansive range and causing a chain of explosions. It was breathtakingly effectively, both literally and figuratively.

The Iron Man suit and its flight capabilities defied conventional expectations. Its offensive and defensive possibilities were limitless. Tony's original refusal to submit the technology to the United States Senate, in hindsight, was selfishly arrogant instead of eccentrically charming.

Military personnel, who had attended the Jericho demonstration, testified before the United Nations of Tony's ingenuity regarding weapons of mass destruction. Avengers, who had witnessed the Iron Man suit in action and under repairs, also offered their insights. Steve shared his method of defeating the armor via disabling the arc reactor. Rhodes contributed information about his brief time inside the armor at Tony's disastrous birthday party. Scott decoded as much as he could of FRIDAY's salvaged data core after the A.I. had immediately initiated a comprehensive self-destruct sequence when she was ordered to unencrypt Tony's files.

Steve assured the world of the Avengers' continued dedication to bring Tony to justice and their detailed plan to neutralize any threat Tony might pose. All notions of forgiveness and friendship had long vanished. 

 

**Three.**

The Avengers carried on, dispensing justice where it was due and bringing freedom where it was lacking. Lives were saved and lives were lost, but they focused on the ones they did protect. Heroes didn't give up when a death occurred on their watch.

Steve gave the same morale boosting speech at each debriefing, with diminishing returns. The once inspiring words rang hollow. The number of lives saved mattered little when casualties and fatalities were constant instead of sporadic, when children fled from them instead of to, when nations barred their entry instead of welcoming them with open arms.

Natasha analyzed their battle patterns and operational strategies but found no explanation for this change in the world's attitude toward the once beloved superheroes. They fought as they always had, with all their might and heart. Answers came when she examined outside factors. Medical teams arrived after hours of waiting when ambulances used to wait on the sideline as the battle waged on. Property compensations were processed over a period of days when they had been distributed immediately. Roadways remained obstructed for weeks when previously debris would be cleared that same day. Construction crews delayed repairs by months when rebuilding would begin within weeks before.

Before Tony tore apart the Avenges and abandoned the world.

Steve was furious when he learned of Stark Industries' recent decision to conclude or consolidate their philanthropic efforts, eliminating and reducing funding for post-battle care and clean-up. In an open letter, he condemned Stark Industries' callous disregard for the people in order to further its own agenda and profits.

 

**Four.**

Pepper, CEO of Stark Industries, responded the next morning. She spoke with regretful sadness and genuine desire to do more, but the financial reality tied her hands. Stark Industries used to span across multiple fields and excelled in every one, which funded their charities that reached the most remote parts of the world. The fall in Stark Industries' stock had slowed but was still continuing its downward trend, resulting in employee lay-offs, factory closures, and reordered priorities. She ended with an announcement of the new StarkPhone and promised part of the profits from this model would go toward humanitarian causes.

Reluctantly, Steve admitted that he might have overreacted a bit in his scathing letter, which had not been well-received. He made a public show of support by heading out to buy a new StarkPhone on its launch day, chatting amicably with the press. Reporters were the only ones willing to speak with him these days.

The latest StarkPhone turned out to be a disappointment. The promised new features were recycled and repackaged versions of previous ones. The holographic display flickered frequently or simply did not functioned at all. The battery life was insultingly short. Technical magazines panned the model as the absolute worst, relieving HammerMobile of that dubious honor.

One journalist bemoaned that the phone was only Stark in name.

Which reignited the public's dulled interest in the whereabouts of the missing Iron Man. With the months of inactivity, the original belief that Tony had concocted a nefarious conspiracy became increasingly implausible. Furthermore, without the behind-the-scenes support, the level of destruction inflicted by the Avengers in their quest to protect the people was difficult to ignore. The world cried out for answers and accountability.

 

**Five.**

These interviews Steve endured should really be labelled interrogations. The hosts ranged from saccharine to acerbic, yet all were hunting for answers he couldn't give to questions he didn't want to be asked.

Where was Tony Stark? What happened in Siberia? Why did James Barnes return to cryostasis?

Steve responded to each inquiry in the same manner he had when they first returned. He denied knowledge of Tony's whereabouts and emphasized the other man's spiteful parting words. He reiterated the duplicity of HYDRA's plot to sabotage the Avengers and lamented Tony's susceptibility. He informed the world of the horrors Bucky had endured at the hands of HYDRA and the sacrifice he made to keep the Winter Soldier contained. All of it had been said before and the public had accepted every word, so the renewed fervor baffled Steve, as did the sudden suspicious hostility.

It was yet another talk show and Steve gritted his teeth through his grin as he greeted the host. Christine was cordial and polite. Steve found himself relaxing gradually as she said nothing about this so-called Civil War and instead asked about their most recent mission. Christine commended Steve and his team on their heroic acts, which he accepted with an appreciative nod. That was the only pleasant exchange.

Christine segued smoothly into the aftermath of their daring rescue, then relentlessly presented statistic after statistic on the destruction and death left in the Avengers' wake. The serrated edge of her smile gleamed sharply as she asked about the necessity of oversight and the dangers of vigilantism. Steve couldn't hear the rest of the question, the sound of blood rushing in his ears drowning out the words, much like the icy ocean waves did once before. 

 

**One.**

The Superhero Registration Act passed unanimously. The Avengers Compound had been seized, but without its inhabitants because Steve had the foresight to suggest assembling elsewhere. The Avengers would not be caged, neither behind bars nor by words.

From the back corner booth of a local diner, they watched the news coverage as a military convoy passed the gates. A list of Avengers-initiated missions scrolled across the bottom of the screen in chronological order, including the numbers of casualties. It had yet to loop back to the beginning after nearly fifteen minutes of footage of the strike team rifling through the mansion. Natasha muttered darkly about steering wheels, for which she received an elbow in her side from Clint and a baleful glare from Sam. 

Tension spiked suddenly and noticeably. Wanda building toward a confrontation while Scott fumbled to deescalate it. It was a welcomed respite when the newscaster appeared back on screen, interrupting the invasive search of their home, to report a new development.

Captain America's shield stood out strikingly against the snowy landscape of Siberia, recognizable despite the rusted blood stains and black scorch marks. They called it a murder weapon.

So intensely consuming was the Avengers' appalled shock and overwhelming disbelief, they failed to notice the group of heavily armed agents converging upon their table until they were already surrounded. A cursory glance around the diner showed fearful faces and cowering concern. Steve's hissed warning for the officers to stand down as to not endanger civilian lives was met with an eye roll and a cryptic mention of karmic justice. The armed man tapped the side of his helmet, signaling the other to do the same. Before Steve could process or react, an excruciatingly high-pitched shriek sounded.

The Avengers fell over stiffly, joints locked and muscles rigid, and were promptly restrained with reinforced handcuffs. The gleam of the metal suggested vibranium. A wave relief swept over the patrons like a physical force. Steve watched with horrified eyes and a sinking realization that the fear and concerns hadn't been for them, but of them. The handcuffs were there to calm the frightened audience more than to serve their intended function.

The gurneys they were wheeled out on far outstripped any other humiliation Steve knew, including the Captain America variety show. On his back and eyes unblinking, he caught the shape of a hidden camera at the corner of the entrance. Steve belatedly remembered the updated and improved facial recognition program they had used to search for Tony. The lens glinted mockingly from above like one of Tony's mischievous winks.

A crowd of reporters had already gathered outside, blinding camera flashes and competing microphones, all screaming the same question: Why did you kill Iron Man?

Steve wanted to shout at the inherent bias in the wording and exclaim his innocence, but no words came from his clenched jaw.

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
